More than lies about rape

Voices from across the political spectrum condemned the Missouri Senate candidate for Senate, Todd Akin, for his recent offensive and scientifically inaccurate reasoning to deny rape survivors’ access to abortion. Akin said women’s bodies “shut down” and prevent them from becoming pregnant from “legitimate rape” — a term loaded with skepticism and derision toward survivors of sexual violence.

It is reassuring to see Akin’s remarks thoroughly rejected. This groundswell of disapproval, however, stands in stark contrast to a broader casual acceptance of falsehoods in matters of reproductive health care.

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Many of those now calling for Akin to abandon his Senate bid have promoted outright lies in the service of an anti-abortion agenda. These falsehoods have permeated policies at the state and federal levels, to the detriment of women’s health across the U.S.

Arguments based on spurious medical information have been used to block access to emergency contraception, including after rape. Opponents of reproductive rights have argued that emergency contraception, as defined by the National Institutes of Health, constitutes a medical abortion — though it acts to prevent pregnancy in the first place. Yet arguments like these helped fuel a campaign that kept emergency contraception from being offered over the counter to American women until 2006. Against the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation, the Obama administration has maintained the ban for girls under 17.

In addition, many state governments have mandated clinic personnel to lie to women seeking abortions. Five states, according to the Guttmacher Institute, require that women be told that abortion is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer — discredited by multiple scientific studies. Five states also require abortion providers to inaccurately portray the effect of abortion on future fertility.

These lies, which can frighten women and keep them from making informed decisions about their pregnancies, are supplemented by half truths. Eight states that require giving women seeking abortion information on the psychological consequences mandate disclosure of only negative information.